Philippine Durian Exports: Demand Outstrips Supply

According to a statement from the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry, durian supply constraints prevent the country from fully exploiting trade opportunities with China and need to be addressed immediately. The 20th China-ASEAN Expo, held earlier this month in Nanning, revealed strong demand for Philippine durians and hence significant export potential, which, however, cannot be realized at the moment.

Froilan Emil Pamintuan, commercial consul at the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Guangzhou, noted that since the first shipment of fresh durians to China in April of this year, interest from Chinese importers has been constantly growing. “In fact, here in the southern part of China, we encountered potential buyers who were seeking possible sources of durian but the Philippine suppliers can no longer serve them because of the capacity concern,” he said.

In response to the problem, the trade undersecretary, Ceferino Rodolfo, requested the industry to address the low production at local farms. Another measure taken, as previously reported, is the expansion of durian plantations in the Davao Region, the country’s largest durian-cultivating area, by 15,000 hectares.

The Philippines is the primary source of bananas for the Chinese market, while Thailand and Vietnam lead in terms of durian supplies. The target, according to Rodolfo, is to gain the same dominance in durians that the Philippines currently has in bananas.

In the first half of this year, the Philippines shipped to China 481.5 metric tons of durians worth $1.88 million, while Thailand’s exports amounted to 600,780 metric tons valued at $3 billion and Vietnam’s totaled 187,090 metric tons, generating a revenue of $828 million. It is worth repeating that Philippine durian exports to China only began in April.

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